This is, by far, my favorite chapter in any book on leadership. It has had the biggest impact on my understanding of winning of anything I’ve seen, read, or heard. Not because of the parts about using spies; that material is relatively straightforward and should be expected from someone as hard-nosed and practical as Sun Tzu. Rather, for the implications of the this chapter’s wisdom on the true nature of leadership.
Chapter 13 in The Art of War is a real Duesy.
Reading between the lines, this chapter signals that leadership isn’t knowing the models, but having the stomach to use them. I don’t think Sun Tzu would be a fan of the shrink-wrapped leadership which is taught in business schools today… certainly, he wouldn’t care much for the celebrity CEO we discuss in print and celebrate at awards ceremonies. Leadership to Sun Tzu is much more nuanced, subtle, and refined. It requires total focus and the ability to balance impossible paradox, the most glaring of which is exposed in his discussion of spies.
Remember how, in Chapter 1, he listed The Way as the first amongst elements which any victorious general must master? Well hold on a sec: now we learn that the most important tactic a general employs is his use of spies… and especially, double agents.
Think about that: the leader must engage in deception and other practices of questionable ethics in order to build an preserve a culture of… ethics. Trust. Transparency. Loyalty. Virtue. Again: all this good stuff can only exist if the leader has a strong enough network of spies. It’s all built on a foundation of lies.
Sun Tzu’s reminding us that to give birth to light, we must start in darkness.
Managing this little paradox is what will “earn you a seat at the table,” “get you the job,” and “move you ahead.” It’s what will pull us out of this recession. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t worry about ethics. You should. I’m not saying that good spies alone will get you where you want to be. They won’t. You need to manage both sides of this paradox, which means you must bring an ethical underpinning to everything you do, while pressing every advantage at every opportunity. You’ll have to know when to follow the code, and when to get dirty and define it.
Lots, lots more in this video:
 | Enjoy this blog? Listen to my new podcast, Beyond Social. |
I'm Jason. I make people shine. My mission is to help 1 million people tell their stories better. 
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }